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INSTRUCTION No

INSTRUCTION No. 528-TTg ISSUED ON THE 29th OF SEPTEMBER, 1994, BY THE PRIME MINISTER BANNING THE REARING AND ORDERING THE DESTRUCTION OF YELLOW SNAILS

Since 1986, Yellow Snails (Pomocea Sp.) have been introduced in our country through different channels. This is an animal capable of fast reproduction and causing harm to cultivated plants, especially the rice plant.

Upon considering the proposal of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry and the inspection report of the Office of the Government, the Prime Minister instructs:

1. To ban the rearing of yellow snails on any scale and in any form throughout the country. In provinces which are rearing the yellow snail, especially Ben Tre, Long An, Kien Giang, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh and Vinh Long where the yellow snail is spreading fast, active measures must be taken to remove it. All the concerned branches and levels must take the initiative to organize the destruction of the yellow snail and not to let it spread to other areas. The yellow snail must be destroyed completely throughout the country by the end of 1994.

Any enterprises which rear the yellow snail and which cause its spread to other units shall be held accountable for the clean-up of the environment and the compensation for losses.

2. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry must expeditiously design detailed measures for quarantine control and the procedure for destroying the yellow snail through combining traditional measures with the use of chemicals, direct the implementation of this Instruction and closely cooperate with the mass media at central and local levels to popularize the above-said contents to farmers.

3. The People's Committees at provinces and cities directly under the Central Government shall urgently report to the Prime Minister about the state of the damage caused by the yellow snail and, at the same time, take measures to prevent further damage and to destroy the yellow snail.

The People's Committees in Ho Chi Minh City and Kien Giang province shall acknowledge their responsibility in allowing the rearing of yellow snail in their localities which has caused serious damage; and determine the extent of the damage and request the units and individuals who are responsible for the matter to pay compensation for the losses.

4. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment shall cooperate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry to control the consequences caused by yellow snail and, at the same time, review their responsibility in discharging their assigned function as an agency of State management and in not implementing seriously and thoroughly the Prime Minister's Instruction carried in Communique No 10/NN of the 5th of October, 1992 banning the rearing and import of yellow snail.

5. The Ministry of Aquatic Resources shall review its responsibility in introducing yellow snail to and spreading it in the North in 1990, in not fulfilling its State management function in the assigned field and in not implementing seriously and thoroughly the above-mentioned Instruction of the Prime Minister.

6. The Ministry of Trade shall review its permitting the import of the yellow snail.

7. The State Committee for Cooperation and Investment shall review its responsibility in not inspecting the operation of the yellow snail-rearing joint ventures after issuing the license for "Fish meal production".

The reviewing of responsibility of the above-said ministries and People's Committees must be conducted seriously, the results of which shall be reported prior to the 15th of October, 1994.

Prime Minister

VO VAN KIET